People who invent unique products and processes need patent prosecution attorneys to apply for government protection of their inventions. Patent application lawyers are uniquely qualified to file your patents with the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office, as they know what to file to show the unique quality of your invention and can clarify precisely why it differs from other similar patented inventions. The process is complex and a patent prosecution attorney usually has a related technical background. For example, a patent application attorney working on new cancer drugs may have a microbiology degree, or one working on new operating systems may have a computer science degree.